Beginner's Guide to Broomstick Lace

Broomstick lace is the first alternative crochet technique that The Animator's Wife ever learned. She picked it up back in 2007, when this blog was still in its first days, from a coworker who had learned it in the 70s.

It's quite an old technique actually. Supposedly it was originally worked around actual broomsticks, and that is from where the name is derived. That seems rather cumbersome, so whether that is true or not is a question for the ages. Today broomstick lace is typically worked around jumbo knitting needles, which makes the fabric work up so quickly that the technique has also earned the name of "jiffy lace."

For anyone who has ever wanted to try this technique, we've assembled a set of tutorials complete with free practice patterns, and we've even organized them into a handy lesson plan. Teachers, please feel free to use these tutorials and patterns in your classes.

Work several rows of broomstick lace until you have a fabric the length of a scarf. Scarves are often the best beginner projects as they give you the opportunity to practice the same technique over and over until you are comfortable with it.